Shroud’s Spectre Divide dev team hit with layoffs weeks after launch

The development team behind shroud’s Spectre Divide has been hit with layoffs the same month in which the tactical shooter launched. 13 employees have been let go as the studio tightens up for long-term support.

After a brief early access period, Spectre Divide launched on PC on September 3. Promoted heavily by ex-Counter-Strike pro turned mega-popular Twitch streamer shroud, the 3v3 tactical shooter drew over 30,000 concurrent players on Steam at its highest point.

With a unique spin on the formula, letting players control two bodies, swapping between them at will, along with its cel-shaded art style, the game stood out initially, though it wasn’t all positive. Spectre Divide quickly came under fire for some hefty price tags on in-game cosmetics, leading to a quick backflip from the devs.

Now just 22 days removed from the game’s launch, Mountaintop Studios, the dev team behind Spectre Divide, has been hit with layoffs. 13 employees in total were notified of their roles being made redundant on September 25.

“To make sure we’re set up to support Spectre and its community for the long term, we made the very difficult decision to reduce 13 full-time roles at the studio,” CEO and Co-Founger Nate Mitchell announced in a company memo obtained by Polygon’s Nicole Carpenter.

“We can’t thank these team members enough for their hard work and dedication to Spectre these last few years.”

Evidently, the team is still committed to bringing new fans into the fold, building up Spectre divide in the months to come. Mountaintop’s headcount reportedly still sits between 50-100 full-time employees.

Though with the player count dwindling and its average Steam review score on the decline, it’ll certainly be an uphill battle for the remaining employees.

Not to mention, shroud, effectively the face of the game, has also been seen raging after lengthy sessions, an out-of-character response for the typically tepid streamer.